Inside the luxurious palace sat a young man dressed in a black robe. Although he was young, his face was resolute, and there was a hint of domineering power hidden between his brows. He was none other than Ying Zheng, the new king of Qin.
“Lü Buwei...”
Ying Zheng's expression was somewhat uncertain. Despite having ascended the throne, he was now at the mercy of Lü Buwei, and the imperial power had become a joke.
Sure enough, at the court meeting today, Lü Buwei casually found an excuse to kill Fei Meng, his only confidant, and then installed a retainer from his household in a new position. Ying Zheng believed that this was an attempt to monitor him.
"How pathetic, how lamentable!"
Ying Zheng sighed, a hint of helplessness crossing his resolute face. Now he didn't even have a confidant he could talk to.
He felt deeply ashamed, thinking that the previous kings of Qin had ruled the world with absolute power, but he had ended up in such a state. He felt he had truly failed his ancestors.
"Is this my fate?"
"No!"
"This is absolutely not my fate!"
Ying Zheng's face was contorted with rage, his eyes filled with resentment.
As a child, he lived under the roof of others. When his father returned to his homeland, he and his mother were left to depend on each other for survival, sometimes struggling even to make ends meet. After finally returning to Qin and ascending the throne, he found himself jumping from one cage to another.
"Sooner or later... I will remove Lü Buwei from office, no matter how talented you are!"
"One day, I will surely fulfill the long-cherished wish of all the previous kings, sweep across the six kingdoms, and unify the four seas!"
Ying Zheng stood with his hands behind his back; his somewhat thin body appeared imposing and his demeanor extraordinary.
Just then, a commotion reached Ying Zheng's ears, piquing his curiosity. He immediately summoned the eunuch outside the door, asking, "What's all this noise outside?"
Outside the palace, a pale-faced, beardless eunuch of about seventeen or eighteen years old peeked out and whispered, "Your Majesty, it seems there is good news!"
"A victory report?" Ying Zheng's face lit up with joy. He immediately realized that it must be Meng Ao who had quelled the Jinyang rebellion. If there were any officials in the court who still respected him as their king, it would only be these few old ministers.
If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have had the chance to see the news of victory first; they would probably have had to get it from Lü Buwei!
A short while later, the messenger sent by Meng Ao arrived at the main hall where Ying Zheng was, knelt on one knee outside the hall door and announced loudly: "Your Majesty, a great victory has been achieved at Jinyang!"
The messenger's voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the hall, without any attempt at concealment.
With a broad smile, Ying Zheng strolled to the palace gate and personally reached out to help the young messenger up, saying, "My Qin warriors, you've worked hard!"
The messenger was flattered and hurriedly got up, took out two bamboo scrolls from his bosom, and handed them to Ying Zheng.
Ying Zheng reached out and took it, opening it and examining it directly in front of the messenger and the eunuch.
"this...."
After a long while, Ying Zheng, having finished reading the two bamboo scrolls, had a complex expression, a mixture of shock and elation.
“Wicked husband…”
Ying Zheng murmured, somewhat impatient to meet this young warrior and see why Meng Ao held him in such high regard.
The young eunuch's eyes flickered, and he memorized the name 'wicked husband'.
Ying Zheng's gaze fell on the messenger in front of him, and he asked in a deep voice, "Do you recognize the wicked husband?"
"Yes, everyone in the entire army that's suppressing the rebellion knows him!" The messenger nodded.
"Truly so brave!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The messenger's eyes burned with excitement as he said, "The wicked man is young, but extremely brave. I have personally witnessed him charging into battle and slaying enemies amidst a vast army."
Ying Zheng took in his performance, and his expectations for him grew even higher. He could tell from the soldier's casual expression that he admired the man.
"You may leave now. Tell General Meng Ao that I await his and the Qin warriors' triumphant return in Xianyang. As for the reward for the wicked man, we will discuss it upon our return." Ying Zheng waved his hand and returned to the palace with the bamboo slips in his hand.
The young eunuch immediately reached out and closed the palace door, then turned around and looked at the messenger with a smile, whispering, "Ruishi, may I speak to you in private?"
"Hmph, get out of here!" The messenger looked disdainful and turned to leave.
The young eunuch's fair and delicate face suddenly contorted into a ferocious expression, his eyes filled with malice as he watched the messenger's departing figure, wishing he could tear him to pieces.
In order to monitor Ying Zheng, Lü Buwei bribed many eunuchs and maids in the palace with a large sum of money, and he was one of them.
"You crude brute, you'll get what's coming to you sooner or later!" the young eunuch muttered to himself, then waved to the distance, and two eunuchs of similar age immediately appeared out of nowhere.
The three whispered a few words to each other, and then the two eunuchs turned and jogged away, while the surrounding guards kept their eyes straight ahead, pretending not to have seen anything.
The eunuch left Xianyang Palace and went to Lü Buwei's residence. He told Lü Buwei about his triumphant return and also told him about the name of the wicked husband that he had heard from Ying Zheng. After receiving his reward, he left happily.
Lu Buwei, dressed in coarse linen clothes, with a thick, wiry beard, and sharp, shrewd eyes, said in a deep voice, "Sima Kong, go and find out who this wicked man is, that he could attract such admiration from the King?"
Sima Kong nodded in agreement and then left the front hall.
A glint of shrewdness flashed in the eyes of the refined young man sitting beside him, and he slowly asked, "Has the Prime Minister once again developed a fondness for talent?"
Upon hearing this, Lü Buwei put down the jade cup with cloud patterns in his hand and revealed a slight smile. "Li Si, who doesn't know that I have three thousand retainers, all of whom are great talents? Whether a mere brute in the army can catch my eye remains to be seen!"
At this point, his expression became quite amused, and he changed the subject, saying, "If he is a capable person, I would be happy to place a trusted confidant in the army."
Li Si smiled, did not continue the conversation, put down the jade cup in his hand, and got up to take his leave.
Lu Buwei watched Li Si's retreating figure until it completely disappeared from sight before slowly murmuring, "Li Si, Li Si, whether to keep you or not, this is truly giving me a headache!"
Li Si was unaware that he was on the verge of death. After leaving Lü Buwei's residence, he went straight to Xianyang Palace and, led by a eunuch, had a grand audience with Ying Zheng.
"Li Si pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
Ying Zheng, who was engrossed in the tall bamboo slips, looked up at the outside of the hall and waved his hand, saying, "You've come. Come in!"
Li Si, who served as Lü Buwei's retainer, was highly regarded. After being appointed as a court official by Lü Buwei, he often offered advice to Ying Zheng, and the two became acquainted over time.
Li Si stepped into the hall and closed the door behind him. Although this was somewhat presumptuous, Ying Zheng said nothing.
Although this man's advice was always biased towards himself, as someone who had served Lü Buwei, he didn't trust Li Si much, but he wasn't afraid that Li Si would harm him either.
Li Si strolled to the center of the hall, stood still, and bowed respectfully. "Your subject Li Si has something to report to Your Majesty!"
"What is it?" Ying Zheng asked, even more curious.
Li Si's expression was serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty has spies around you, including Lü Buwei. They have already learned of this wicked man's name and have sent their retainer, Sima Kong, to investigate."
Ying Zheng's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, but he remained calm and chuckled softly, "The Prime Minister has always cherished talent; perhaps he has developed a fondness for talent once again!"
Li Si sighed upon hearing this, knowing that Ying Zheng did not trust him.
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